Question Period Note: Rebuilding Jasper National Park

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• In the aftermath of the wildfire, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper have worked together to ensure support to the community and local businesses is timely, relevant and effective at every stage of the recovery process. Parks Canada has secured over 300 interim housing units, which Jasper residents occupied as of February.
• In parallel, Parks Canada is supporting all necessary processes for accelerating the rebuild of Jasper in concrete ways, such as updated land use policies, expedited approvals, facilitated subdivision processes, and simplified development application process.
• Parks Canada has been taking and continues to take important steps to reduce wildfire risk across the Mountain national parks while concurrently advancing the rebuild of Jasper National Park.

• During the 2024 Jasper Wildfire, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper worked together in Unified Command. In late August 2024, unified command transitioned to the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC), a joint coordination body with staff from both Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper.
• Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper are working towards rebuilding Jasper with a higher density to get more residents back to the community. Parks Canada has been actively supporting interim housing efforts for Jasper since the wildfire and recognizes its importance to the community’s recovery. Since late August, through the JRCC, Parks Canada has collaborated with all levels of government to advance housing plans.
• In early fall 2024, Parks Canada made 4.25 hectares of land available and worked with the Municipality of Jasper and the Government of Alberta on site servicing, which was completed in December 2024.
• Initially, Parks Canada focused on supporting the Government of Alberta’s October 2024, funding announcement for interim housing by providing land rather than procuring housing directly.
• By December 2024, negotiations with the Government of Alberta on land use stalled due to differing visions on density. As a result, Parks Canada proceeded with procuring its own interim housing units to address the urgent needs of Jasper residents.
• Parks Canada has secured over 300 interim housing units for Jasper residents. Most of the 300+ housing units have arrived in Jasper and initial occupancy began February 26, 2025.
• The Canadian Red Cross is providing interim lodging management services for Jasper residents placed in units as part of the interim housing program. As part of their interim lodging management role, the Canadian Red Cross is providing support with tenant relations, managing leases, utility management and coordinating maintenance for sites.
• Parks Canada is committed to reducing barriers for those affected by the wildfire by streamlining processes and providing clear support to make rebuilding as efficient as possible. To this day:
o 100% of demolition permits have been granted; and
o 135 development permits have been issued, including the first residential development permit on February 3, 2025.
• Federal funding announced to date to support recovery in Jasper includes:
o Over $160 million for the Jasper Housing, Recovery and Wildfire Response;
o More than $15.2 million for rent relief and $3 million for tourism initiatives;
o $2 million for new initiatives that will help local businesses; and,
o $187 million investment to repair and rebuild critical infrastructure.
• Parks Canada has also transferred a parcel of land to the Municipality of Jasper for a nominal fee of $1 to develop a 40-unit affordable housing rental complex.
• Furthermore, last Fall, the Federal Government introduced Bill C-76, an Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act, on September 18, 2024. On October 3, 2024, the bill received Royal Assent by the Governor General. The bill enabled Parks Canada to transfer some of the authority for land use planning and development to the Municipality of Jasper.

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